Editing Winfield Scott (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Coat of Arms of Winfield Scott.svg|upright=1|thumb|Scott used this [[coat of arms]] for his [[bookplate]].{{sfn|''Hobbies magazine'' |page=139}} It has been incorporated into the heraldry of various units of the U.S. Army, including the [[1st Engineer Battalion (United States)|1st]] and [[7th Engineer Battalion (United States)|7th]] Engineer Battalions.{{sfn|Stein|Capelotti|1993|pages=108–109}}]]

Scott was born on June 13, 1786, the fifth child of Ann (Mason) Scott and William Scott, a planter, veteran of the [[American Revolutionary War]], and officer in the [[Dinwiddie County, Virginia|Dinwiddie County]] militia.{{sfn|Wright|1894|pages=1–2}} At the time, the Scott family resided at Laurel Hill, a plantation near [[Petersburg, Virginia]].{{sfn|Eisenhower|1999|pp=1–2}}{{sfn|Southwick|1998|p=219}} Ann Mason Scott was the daughter of Daniel Mason and Elizabeth Winfield, and Scott's parents chose his maternal grandmother's surname for his first name.{{sfn|Wright|1894|page=1}} Scott's paternal grandfather, James Scott, had migrated from [[Scotland]] after the defeat of [[Charles Edward Stuart]]'s forces in the [[Battle of Culloden]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://library.bowdoin.edu/arch/mss/ooh-pdf/M91b41f056 |title=Winfield Scott for Nelson's Encyclopedia |date=July 1906 |website=library.bowdoin.edu |publisher=Bowdoin College Library |location=Brunswick, ME |access-date=October 29, 2020 |page=1 |ref={{sfnRef|Bowdoin College}}}}</ref> Scott's father died when Scott was six years old; his mother did not remarry.{{sfn|Peskin|2003|p=2}} She raised Scott, his older brother James, and their sisters Mary, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Martha until her death in 1803.{{sfn|Johnson|1998|page=8}} Although Scott's family held considerable wealth, most of the family fortune went to James, who inherited the plantation.{{sfn|Southwick|1998|p=220}} At six feet, five inches tall and 230 pounds, with a hardy constitution, in his prime Scott was a physically large and imposing figure.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Richard Lyon |date=1976 |title=Dinwiddie County, Carrefour of the Commonwealth: A History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=01E8AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Winfield+Scott+stood+six+feet+,+five+inches+tall+and+weighed+230+pounds+.+His+physical+strength+was+considerable%22 |location=Dinwiddie, VA |publisher=Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors |page=120 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

Scott's education included attendance at schools run by James Hargrave and James Ogilvie.{{sfn|Bowdoin College|page=1}} In 1805, Scott began attending the [[College of William and Mary]], but he soon left to [[reading law|study law]] in the office of attorney David Robinson.{{sfn|Bowdoin College|page=1}} His contemporaries in Robinson's office included [[Thomas Ruffin]].{{sfn|Wright|1894|page=4}} While apprenticing under Robinson, Scott attended the trial of [[Aaron Burr]], who had been accused of [[treason]] for his role in events now known as the [[Burr conspiracy]].{{sfn|Wright|1894|page=56}} During the trial, Scott developed a negative opinion of the [[Commanding General of the United States Army|Senior Officer of the United States Army]], General [[James Wilkinson]], as the result of Wilkinson's efforts to minimize his complicity in Burr's actions by providing forged evidence and false, self-serving testimony.{{sfn|Wright|1894|pages=8–10}}

Scott was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in 1806, and practiced in [[Dinwiddie, Virginia|Dinwiddie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=17668 |title=Scott's Law Office |last=Fisher |first=Bernard |date=April 5, 2009 |website=Historical Marker Database |publisher=J. J. Prats |location=Powell, OH |access-date=May 4, 2020}}</ref> In 1807, Scott gained his initial military experience as a [[Corporal#United States|corporal]] of [[cavalry]] in the [[Virginia Militia]], serving amid the [[Chesapeake–Leopard affair|''Chesapeake–Leopard'' affair]].{{sfn|Wright|1894|page=6}} Scott led a detachment that captured eight [[United Kingdom|British]] sailors who had attempted to land to purchase provisions.{{sfn|Wright|1894|page=6}} Virginia authorities did not approve of this action, fearing it might spark a wider conflict, and they soon ordered the release of the prisoners.{{sfn|Wright|1894|page=6}} Later that year, Scott attempted to establish a legal practice in [[South Carolina]] but was unable to obtain a law license because he did not meet the state's one-year residency requirement.{{sfn|Wright|1894|pages=7–9}}